1 April 2024, The Indian EXPRESS
Ceasefire talks resume in Cairo as Israel steps up strikes across Gaza
(Page no-World Section)
(GS 2, Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India's interests)
- Israeli strikes killed 77 Palestinians in Gaza in the past 24 hours, health authorities said on Sunday, as Egypt hosted an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza's Hamas rulers, The Israeli military said it killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in a strike on a command centre in the courtyard of the Al- Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza.
- There was no immediate comment from Islamic Jihad, a militant group and ally of Hamas.
- Palestinian health officials and Hamas media said the strike hit several tents inside the AlAqsa Hospital, killing four people and wounding several, including five journalists.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to keep up military pres- sure on Hamas, while showing flexibility in the talks, saying that only that combination would bring about the release of some 130 hostages still held incom- municado in Gaza.
- The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel's offensive in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas.
Japan, China experts meet to discuss Fukushima wastewater discharge
(Page no-World Section)
(GS 2, Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India's interests)
- Japan's experts have held talks with their Chinese counterparts to try to assuage Beijing's concerns over discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea.
- The discharges have been opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries especially China, which banned all imports of Japanese seafood.
- During the talks held in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, Japanese officials provided "science-based" explanation of how discharges have been carried out as planned, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
- The experts exchanged views on "technical matters" involving the discharges, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
- While stressing the importance of transparency, the official declined to reveal what the Chinese side said and whether their differences have been narrowed.
PM: Cong gave Katchatheevu to SL; Kharge raises Bangla land pact
(Page No-7)
(GS 2, IR)
- The decades-old territorial and fishing rights dispute around Katchatheevu Island has been brought back into the limelight, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeting the Congress for ceding the island to Sri Lanka and the party hitting back, saying the PM was raking up the issue with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections.
- Reacting to a Times of India report on the issue, based on a reply to an RTI query reportedly filed by Tamil Nadu BJP chief KAnnamalai, Modi said in a social media post: "Eye opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu.
- This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people's minds-we can't ever trust Congress! Weakening India's unity, integrity and interests has been Congress' way of working for 75 years and counting." He also raised the matter later at his rally in Meerut, and linked the issue to the capture of Tamil Nadu fish- ermen and the seizure of their boats by the Sri Lankan forces.
Free pass to the legislature: How often MPs, MLAs have been elected unopposed since 1952
(Page No-8)
(GS 2, Salient Features of People's Act)
- Just two weeks after the Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha and four state Assembly polls, 10 BJP candidates for the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly have already won their seats, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who also won unopposed in 2014 and 2011 in a by-poll.
- A sixth of the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly has been elected unopposed, one seat shy of the record set in 2014, when 11 candidates won without an election.
- It is more common for MLAs to win unopposed than Lok Sabha MPs. Since the first elections in 1952, 298 MLAs and 28 MPs won their seats in the absence of any opponent.
- In State Assemblies, Nagaland leads the way with the most MLAs elected unopposed at 77, followed by Jammu and Kashmir at 63, and Arunachal Pradesh at 40.
- In 1962, the Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and the erstwhile Mysore state and J&K saw the most state legislators elected unopposed in a single year at 47.
- The Congress has, by far, had the most MLAs elected unop- posed at 194, followed by the National Conference (NC) at 34, and the BJP at 15.
Manifesto for Nari Shakti
(Page No-10)
(GS 2, Welfare Schemes)
- The Indian Civilisation places the woman, nari, in a preeminent position. Shakti is seen as a source of creation, maintenance, and destruction and is understood as a way of bringing balance to the universe.
- In this context, nari shakti is not merely sashaktikaran (empowerment) but the feminine power residing in all beings.
- With a greater emphasis on nari shakti now and with the biggest festival of democracy, the Lok Sabha elections, around the corner, it is imperative to ask: Where does the nari of this nation stand? How do we understand the language of empowerment? Can it only be understood in political or economic terms?
- Empowerment is a complex phenomenon, affecting education, economy and culture. In the recent state elections, women have emerged as a significant voter base, but we hope to see their engagement as "contenders" also being increased.
- Whether it was during the elections in Bihar in 2020, West Bengal in 2021 or the 2023 elections in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, female voters have supported parties that put forward policies and schemes designed to cater to their needs and well-being.
N-energy as climate solution
(Page No-15)
(GS 2, Science & Tech.)
- On march 21, Brussels hosted a first of its kind Nuclear Energy Summit that was billed as the most high-profile intemational meeting on nuclear energy ever.
- Representatives from 30 countries, including a few Heads of State, attended the event, which was organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
- The meeting was the latest in a series of efforts being made in the last few years to pitch nuclear energy as an important solution to global problems like climate change and energy security.
- It was aimed at building momentum for a greater acceptance of nuclear energy, about which many countries continue to nurse apprehensions.
- In recent years, global nuclear advocates led by the IAEA an intergovernmental organisation that works for safe and peaceful use of nuclear science and technology-have been highlighting the potential of nuclear power to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
- Nuclear energy is a clean source of energy with negligible release of emissions during the electricity generation process. Even when the entire life cycle is considered accounting for activities like reactor construction, uranium mining and enrichment, waste disposal and storage, and other processes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are only in the range of 5 to 6 grams per kilowatt-hour, according to LAEA.
Few takers for electric cars in India, shows survey
(Page No-17)
(GS 1, Distribution of Key Natural Resources)
- Only 5% of those looking to buy a four-wheeler in India this year are likely to pick an electric car, according to a survey by online consumer pulse aggregator platform Local-Circles.
- 40,000 people from 319 districts participated in the survey conducted over a period of three months.
- 42% of the respondents are from Tier-1 cities, 34% from Tier-2 and the 24% from Tier-3, 4 and rural areas.
- The survey found that over half of 'existing or prospective car owners' are willing to buy an electric car if it is available in the 18-10 lakh price range.
- The India findings from the '2023 Global Automotive Consumer Study' by Deloitte said demand for EVs continues to centre on the consumer perception that fuel costs will be significantly lower than internal combustion engine cars, outweighing concern for climate change.
- Experts say people want to buy electric cars for the driving experience also as there is no engine sound and very little noise, vibration and harshness.
- But automobile experts say that while operating costs of an electric car are much less than a petrol version, the time taken to offset the difference in purchase cost would take an average commute of 46 km/day, or six years.
- For an average commuter, the distance travelled daily would be considerably less than this.
In first meet for FY25 in April, why MPC is likely to keep repo rate unchanged
(Page No-17)
(GS 3, Indian Economy)
- The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will hold its first meeting for the financial year (FY) 2024-25 between April 3 and 5.
- The panel is widely expected to keep the repo rate, the key policy rate, unchanged and maintain the withdrawal of accommodation' policy stance.
- Analysts said the central bank will be cautious as continuing risks to food inflation could affect retail inflation.
- The MPC will likely keep the repo rate (the rate at which the RBI lends money to banks to meet their short-term funding) needs unchanged at 6.5%.
- After a 25-basis point (bp) hike in February 2023, the rate has remained unchanged at this level over seven straight MPC meetings. One basis point is one hundredth of a percentage point.
- The MPC meeting comes after the US Federal Reserve decided to hold its interest rate steady at a range between 5.25% and 5.2% and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised its rate for the first time since 2007 and ended an eight year negative interest rate regime. The BoJ hiked the interest rate to a range of zero to 0.1% from (-)0.1%.
